Whats your SS gear ratio

birdy247

Live in London and currently ride a 46 x 18 on my commuter.

I ride it fine, but I am getting pi$$ed off with the start/stop all the time, so thinking of going to 46 x 20. Anyone ride this?? Will I be spinning like a mad man?? I usually ride at around 95-100 when out on a proper road ride.

asprilla

Well I ride 48x16 in London and my cadence is usually 85-90 on the road bike.

pastryboy

50x18 for a mostly flat journey on canal path. A little slower than I'd like away from the lights and tough on windy days but otherwise ideal.

Skippy2309

50/14 or 50/15 depending on how I feel (got a 13t but I think that will be saved for a day when I know theres no lights or slow drivers lol)

just find what gearing is good for your commute, its easy to play around with. I started at 44/16 which I spun out on, so went to a 44/13 which I still managed to spin out on, so went bigger up front :twisted:

Oddjob62

51/15 atm.

Zachariah

The brochure for mine said 48/20, but I counted 19 on the rear cog and I can easily cruise over 20mph. I haven't got round to counting the front ring yet. I'm thinking of going for a slightly higher ratio but the cost of getting all the tools is putting me off (yes I know the LBS can do it but THAT'S NOT THE POINT DAMMIT!)

Skippy2309

screw driver and an allen key to the the chain ring off, Lock rings a pain but to remove the cog you can use your chain and your frame, using the wheel as leverage to get the cog off

Harry182

I'm on a 44x15 with 26x1.5 tyres (73 inches).

average cruising speed ~20 mph. current max - 29 mph

birdy247

Would 48 x 20 be silly spinning? I generally like to spin around 90-100 on the flat. I think a switch must turn off when I commute in London as i really dont like putting much effort in. My aim is to simply get from A - B and leave the hard and fast stuff for when im on my road bike

mroli

48x18 for me.

Thinking of going to a 16/14, but with all the traffic in London...

el_presidente

48*17 for me - thinking of going to 16. (700c wheels)

Clever Pun

48/15 fixed for me, just stepped up from 48/16

il_principe

50x16

Canny Jock

48/15 as well, seems perfect for flat London commuting. My bike is pretty light and don't have much trouble pulling away, and can easily handle mild hills too.

TommyEss

48x18 fixed on my Pompino - nice up the hill on Wokingham Road, a bit spinny on the descent coming home though. Plenty of oomph on the flatlands of London Town mind.

wgwarburton

birdy247 wrote:

Would 48 x 20 be silly spinning? I generally like to spin around 90-100 on the flat. I think a switch must turn off when I commute in London as i really dont like putting much effort in. My aim is to simply get from A - B and leave the hard and fast stuff for when im on my road bike

One tooth makes a pretty big difference (check out the eponymous recent thread), so try 48x19- this'll give you a useful gain in torque when pulling away, fit with your laid-back approach to city riding and still let you wind up to a decent pace before freewheeling (you said SS, not fixed, right?).
Don't pay any attention to the poseurs claiming big gears- all they are really doing is admitting they have poor pedalling technique and spin-out at 110rpm :-) .

Cheers,
W.

Clever Pun

Canny Jock wrote:

48/15 as well, seems perfect for flat London commuting. My bike is pretty light and don't have much trouble pulling away, and can easily handle mild hills too.

Headwinds utterly kick my @ss though

birdy247

trouble is, I cant find any 19t freewheels

jonginge

19T:
http://www.parker-international.co.uk/1 ... ocket.html
http://www.parker-international.co.uk/1 ... ocket.html

TommyEss

Or do you need a BMX freewheel to attach to a fixed hub?

jonginge

Oops, missed the freewheel bit.

Note to self: read entire question

wgwarburton

birdy247 wrote:

trouble is, I cant find any 19t freewheels

I take it you're looking for something less spendy than a White ENO?

Fair point... but keep looking!

Cheers,
W.

TommyEss

If you need a vrai screw on SS freewheel, look at Shimano BMX ones... Parkers have them up to 18t

biondino

48/18, perfect for the stop-startiness of London and allows a decent cruising speed on slight inclines and on the flat.

Also, what Buns said about big gear/small c0ck

lost_in_thought

biondino wrote:

48/18, perfect for the stop-startiness of London and allows a decent cruising speed on slight inclines and on the flat.

Also, what Buns said about big gear/small c0ck

It must be true, I ride quite a big gear and I don't have one at all...

markshaw77

lost_in_thought wrote:

biondino wrote:

48/18, perfect for the stop-startiness of London and allows a decent cruising speed on slight inclines and on the flat.

Also, what Buns said about big gear/small c0ck

It must be true, I ride quite a big gear and I don't have one at all...

On that basis, I'm not sure whether I dare admit that I am considering moving up from the stock 42/16 ratio that came on my bike to something like 46/16 :oops: :oops: :oops:

TommyEss

lost_in_thought wrote:

biondino wrote:

48/18, perfect for the stop-startiness of London and allows a decent cruising speed on slight inclines and on the flat.

Also, what Buns said about big gear/small c0ck

It must be true, I ride quite a big gear and I don't have one at all...

QED...

I only ride a big one on the track...

Aidy

Skippy2309 wrote:

50/14 or 50/15 depending on how I feel (got a 13t but I think that will be saved for a day when I know theres no lights or slow drivers lol)

That sounds less like a singlespeed, and more like a particularly inefficient gear change.

Oddjob62

biondino wrote:

Also, what Buns said about big gear/small c0ck

You don't want to know how many guys he measured to prove his hypothesis :shock:

woodford2barbican

el_presidente wrote:

48*17 for me - thinking of going to 16. (700c wheels)

ditto

rf6

33/16 for me. But it's a bit more hilly than London, and you don't want to go too quickly when bimbling along the seafront, looking at the lovelies on the beach. 8)